Golf ball teeing device



C. C. BECKETT GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE Aug. 29, 1939.

Filed April 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwuc'vvbo'p Clay CT Beckeiig- 29, 1939- c. c. BEKETT 2,171,299

GOLF BALL TEEING DEVICE Filed April 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwcmm Baa/125i" Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNiTED STA'iEZd rATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved golf ball teeing device, and it is an important object of the invention to provide a teeing machine with a movable ball delivering chute which is normally positioned at a point substantially remote from the tee and well out of the way of a person addressing a ball on the tee.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a golf ball teeing machine having an operating lever positioned at a point substantially remote from the tee but operable from the tee position by a golf club in the hand of a user of the tee.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved golf ball delivery chute and chute operating mechanism cooperable with a tee.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the golf teeing machine;

Figure 2 is a side view of the golf ball delivering chute, with parts in plane, parts in section,

and parts broken;

Figure 3 is a sectional view in elevation of the teeing machine, with parts in plan and parts broken; and

Figure 4 is a top view of the machine of Figure 3, with parts in section and parts broken.

In Figure 1 there is shown in perspective a golf ball teeing machine which comprises a casing it having an annular and vertical wall ll provided with depending brackets holding it in spaced operative relation above a base plate i2 to which is secured a tee-holding strap l3 extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom, and supporting a tee-holder M in spaced operative relation to the casing Iii. A tee it formed of a rubber tube is adjustably mounted in the tee holder [4, after the manner illustrated in my application Serial No. 84,552, filed June 10, 1936, and entitled Golf ball teeing device.

' Within the wall 4 I, and providing a bottom for the casing, is a golf ball runway-or cone it resembling an inverted cone and formed to define a spiral race I! of gradually increasing radius as the ball progresses downwardly, the outer edge of a major portion of the race being provided with an upstanding guard or flange it, formed integral with the cone. Viewed from above, as in Figures 1 and 4, the runway resembles a snail shell somewhat in appearance. The wall ll of the casing I0 is offset at l9 and is provided with an opening 20 communicating with the race I! to enable the golf ball to roll into a curved delivery tube 2I integrally connected with the wall ii and forming an extension of the ball raceway El and of the casing l0.

The inverted cone permits of the dumping of a bucket of golf balls at a time into the casing, and of the balls finding their way freely towards: the opening 20, and without necessitating their being carefully arranged by hand in the raceways. Because of the novel disposition of the spiral race of downwardly increasing radius and the inverted cone shape of the runway structure, the balls may be spilled from a bucket into the casing and piled without particular care, with 15 the knowledge that they will feed towards the opening 20 without further attention by the user of the device.

An operating lever 22 extends vertically through a slot 23 formed in the cone l6, and is 20 suitably pivoted on the cone as at M. The upper end of the lever 22 is provided with a fork having a pair of arms 25 on which rubber sleeves 2% are fitted, so that a golfer standing at the tee may insert the head of a golf club in the fork and 25 operate the machine without changing his stance.

A wall of the slot 23 provides an abutment, as at 21, to limit movement of the pivoted lever 22 in one direction of movement, and the lever is impelled against the abutment by a spring 28 30 suitably secured to the lever at its lower end and to the cone IS.

A rod 29 is pivotally connected at one end to the lower end of thelever 22 and at its other end to a pair of arms 30 which are pivotally connected 35 at 3| to a pair of bent levers or bell cranks 32 pivotally supported on a pair of spaced opposed straps or brackets 33 and secured in opposed relation at 34 to the lower end of a discharge chute 35 to support the chute in operative relation to 0 the outward end of the tube 2!.

In Figures 1, 3, and 4 the chute 35 is shown inits elevated or normal position and out of the way of the golfer, and in Figure 2 the chute is 45 shown in its delivery position to guidedly carry a ball from the tube 2| to the tee l5. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outward end of the tube 2| is shaped to enable the inner end of the chute 35 to move in front of the outward 50 end of the tube 2! and very close thereto.

The chute 35 is a round tube at the inner end 35, and an open trough in the outwardly extending portion 31, and forms a guideway leading the golf ball into an annular guard 38 connected 55 thereto and adapted to place the ball over the tee It.

When the upper end of the lever 22 is pulled towards him by the golfer, the chute descends to form an extension of the tube 2|, and, in descending, it engages a pivoted lever 39, Figure 2, to lower the outermost pin of a pair of pins 4|] and 4|, respectively, and so release the ball 42 for movement into the chute 35, while raising the innermost pin 4| to prevent forward movement of the next ball in the tube 2|. As the chute 35 ascends, the outermost pin 48 rises through an opening in the side of the tube 2| to prevent outward movement of a ball, while the innermost pin 4| descends through an opening in the side of the tube 2| to allow the next ball to advance against the pin 40. The pins 40 and 6| constitute a gate operated by movement of the chute 35 to control movement of the golf balls towards the outward end of the tube 2|, and, of course, the ball cannot leave the tube 2| until the chute is in position to guide it towards the tee l5. When the chute 35 is in its normal position, the lever 3d may, of course, be operated by hand to empty the tube 2|, or to test the gate after oiling or adjusting.

The lever 39 is pivotally supported on a bracket 53 depending from the tube 2|, and is returned upon the rising of the chute 35 to the position shown in Figure 3 by a spring 46 on the pin 4|. Suitable means are provided to render the length of the rod 29 adjustable.

It will now be evident that the chute 35 is out of the way of a golfer addressing the ball on the tee, and so does not divert his attention from his play, and that the machine may be operated by the golfer to deliver a ball without his having to change his stance.

The strap i3 which holds the tee holder M in operative relation to the ball storing and delivering elements may be placed in a shallow trough in the ground so that a small mat 45, of suitable material, carried by the holder l4, may be resting on or in proximity to the turf.

The device is light and portable as a unitary structure, and is obviously available for indoor practice, and for practice in limited areas, such as a back yard.

The race ll obviously provides a conduit for rain or for water used to wash out dirt or melting snow.

The cone it provides a support for the lever 22, and also forms a housing or cover shielding the pivoted connection at the lower end of the rod, and for the adjusting means 44.

The casing bracket and the brackets 33 are removably secured to the base I2, so that the casing it and the ball controlling elements may be raised from the base and inspected and adjusted with ease.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf teeing machine comprising a shallow casing having an upstanding side Wall and a cone-shaped bottom, a hand-operable lever pivotally mounted on said casing and extending through said bottom at the apex thereof, said lever being arranged extending vertically above said side Wall to a height convenient for hand operation, said side wall being provided with means defining an outlet for golf balls, a chute movable to guide balls leaving the outlet, and link means connecting said lever with said chute for movement of said chute by said lever.

2. A golf teeing machine comprising a base, a shallow casing on said base and supported thereon in spaced relation thereto, said casing having an upstanding wall having means defining a side outlet, and a cone-shaped bottom, a lever extending vertically through the apex of said bottom and to a height thereabove convenient for hand operation, said lever being pivotally supported on said machine, a chute movable to guide balls leaving the outlet, and link means disposed between said base and said bottom and connecting said lever with said chute for movement of said chute by said lever.

3. A golf teeing machine comprising a base, a tee connected to said base, a casing supported on said base and in spaced relation above said base, said casing having a cone-shaped bottom and an upstanding side wall having an offset portion thereof provided with an opening, a conduit connected to said wall and in alignment with the opening thereof, movable control means in said conduit to control movement of golf balls therethrough, a ball chute pivotally supported on said base and movable to guide balls from said conduit to said tee and to effect movement of said control means, a lever pivotally supported on said casing and extending through said bottom at its apex, and link means connecting said lever and said chute for movement of said chute by said lever and disposed between said base and said bottom, said lever being hand operable and being arranged extending above said casing to a height convenient for hand operation.

4. A golf teeing machine comprising a base, a shallow casing on said base and connected thereto, said casing having a cone-shaped bottom disposed above said base and an upstanding side wall having means defining a side outlet member, a member connected to said base, a tee on said member, movable control means in said outlet member to control movement of golf balls therein, a chute pivotally supported on said base and movable to guide balls from said outlet to said tee and to effect movement of said control means, a hand-operable lever pivotally supported on said bottom and arranged extending through said bottom at its apex, link means connecting said lever and said chute for movement of said chute by said lever, said lever being arranged extending above said casing to a height convenient for hand operation and being provided at its upper end with means defining a fork to receive the head of a golf club.

5. A golf teeing machine comprising a shallow casing having a cone-shaped bottom and an upstanding side wall provided with means defining a side outlet member, movable control means in said outlet member to control movement of golf balls in said member, a tee-carrying member connected with said casing, a tee on said tee-carrying member, a ball chute movable to guide golf balls from said outlet to said tee and to effect movement of said control means, a lever pivotally supported on said casing and arranged extending vertically through said bottom at the apex of said bottom and to a height thereabove convenient for hand operation, said lever being provided at its upper end with means defining a fork to receive the head of a golf club held by a user standing adjacent the tee and without necessitating a change in the stance of the user, and

link means connecting said lever and said chute for movement of said chute by said lever.

6. A golf teeing machine comprising a shallow casing having a cone-shaped bottom and an upstanding side wall, said wall being provided with means defining a side outlet member, movable control means in said outlet member to control movement of golf balls in, said member, a base disposed below said casing, a pair of opposed upright members on said base, a ball chute having a pair of opposed bell-cranks secured to one end thereof, means connecting said bell-cranks to said uprights to provide pivotal support for said chute,

to a height convenient for hand operation, and 10 link means connecting said lever and said chute and disposed extending below said bottom.

CLAY C. BECKET'I'. 

